Decent athlete for his size; well above-average mobility for a defensive end. A smart, disciplined player; isn’t overaggressive in pursuit. Stays in his zone and keeps his eyes in the backfield. Impressive change-of-direction ability for an end/linebacker. A scrappy player; very active hands – can really get under an offensive lineman’s skin throughout the course of a game. Explosive off the snap. Does a nice job making himself small to slip through holes when blitzing on the inside. Also has the speed and quickness to win off the edge. Strong wrap-up tackler. Has experience playing linebacker in a 3-4, and with his hand on the ground in some 4-3 sets. Tough defender who plays through the whistle.

Weaknesses:

Sort of a ‘tweener who doesn’t fit perfectly at end or linebacker. Struggles to shed blocks against the run. A much better run defender when when at linebacker, and given more space to move. Easily tossed around by more physically imposing offensive tackles, especially when running play is headed his direction. Arrested for domestic assault in 2009; chargers were later dropped.

Comments:

Upshaw is a tough player to evaluate, because each team will view him differently based on their scheme. He has the ability to start and be an effective pass rusher in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. However, due to his struggles against the run, he would probably be more valuable at linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He works much better against the run when given space, and can be a true three-down linebacker in that system.